Course overview

The BA (Hons) Journalism with Media Studies course provides an opportunity to combine the critical study of a wide range of media forms with the development of knowledge and practical skills in journalism, on a course that can lead to a professional qualification. Journalism is an exciting, fast-changing world where you need not just the ability to find and tell a story, but an array of technical skills to communicate that tale to the public.

At Portsmouth we are committed to helping you gain the skills to progress in your career. From interviewing and writing through to page and web design, whether it is in the chosen field of newspapers, magazines or the web, these are the skills that are much sought after in the marketplace. Over three years you will learn the basic skills of journalism alongside the theory that underlies the practice of journalism. We intend that our graduates are not just proficient but also reflective practitioners of journalism with significant knowledge of another subject.
Media Studies at Portsmouth involves the theoretical and critical study of different media, including film, broadcasting, print and the internet.

Pairing media studies with journalism brings a combination that is ideal for those who want to become both reflective and knowledgeable media practitioners.

This degree is particularly committed to recruiting such students who will usually hold an Access qualification or equivalent.

The University of Portsmouth is an approved exam centre for the National Council for the Training of Journalists, a body traditionally associated with the newspaper industry. Students have the opportunity to sit a number of NCTJ examinations but applicants are advised that if they wish to complete all the NCTJ core examinations they should apply to the single honours journalism course.

Placements

You can complete a 10-day journalism-based work placement as part of a Placement and Digital Portfolio module in the third year of this course. During placement, you gain relevant work experience, learn more about the professional application of journalism and produce material for your portfolio which may also be used for NCTJ professional qualifications. Past students have gained work placements on a variety of weekly, evening and national newspapers, national magazines, radio and television stations and web publications.

This course also allows you to take the Learning From Experience (LiFE) option, which lets you earn credits toward your degree for work / research placements, volunteer roles or internships undertaken alongside your studies.  The option gives you the opportunity to enhance your employability skills, to reflect on the ways in which you've done so, and to learn to express this to potential employers.

Course content

What you will study

Year 1

• Law for journalists
• Theories and techniques in journalism
• Introduction to studying journalism
• Copywriting and web editing
• Media theories and methods
• Contemporary media events

Year 2

• An introduction to editorial design
• Visual journalism
• Print media
• Feature writing
• One option from:
  • The media and propaganda
  • Approaches to popular culture
  • Screen media
• One option from:
  • Sports journalism
  • Ethical issues in modern journalism
  • Learning from experience (faculty wide option)

Year 3

• EITHER Dissertation (journalism)
  OR Journalism special exercise
• Writing and producing magazines
• One option from:
  • Placements and digital portfolio
  • Press and public relations
• 2 options from:
  • Culture of consumption
  • Researching animation
  • British TV drama and society
  • TV talk shows
  • Media fan cultures
  • Representing science in the media
  • Comedy, culture and form
  • News, war and peace

Teaching and assessment

Each year you will study units worth a total of 120 credits (60 credits per semester) and will need to acquire 360 credits to achieve an honours degree.

Learning takes place within a varied environment and includes lectures, seminars, tutorials, screenings, presentations, projects, practical workshop sessions and group-based activities. You will be expected to participate fully in group discussions and group projects, and apply word processing skills.

You will also be encouraged to make effective use of information from a wide variety of sources, including video and DVD audio-visual materials, CD-ROM and web-searches, the University library and our well-stocked resources area.

We also use a range of assessment methods, including essays, close textual analysis, in-class tests, seminar presentations, performance and a dissertation.

For the journalism strand you will produce a range of journalistic writing for assessment and be required to sit in-class tests.

The final classification of the degree award is determined by your overall performance in units in both your second and third years. You can also sit the external examinations of the CTJ in law, public administration and news writing.

Student participation

Regular formal and informal feedback is sought from all students on their experience of the degree. You will be able to elect representatives to the Student-Staff Consultative Committee, which input into the Board of Studies, the committee that helps administer and monitor the degree's progress.

Career prospects

Portsmouth graduates have a good record of finding employment and the focus on our journalism course is on making you employable as a graduate journalist. We would therefore expect to you to pursue a career in journalism, where you will be ideally equipped with the skills to work on magazines and newspapers, but you shouldn’t rule out alternatives, such as public relations, where journalistic skills are also at a premium. Many of the skills you will acquire on this course are also useful in other areas - the ability to interview people, record and analyse what is said, and present (or re-present) complex information in a form where it can be easily understood are just some of the transferable skills this course offers which can enhance your employability.

Other skills include written and oral communication, IT, group working, organisation and the exercising of independent initiative. All open up a wide range of careers.

Facilities and features

Journalism students learn practical skills in a purpose-built, spacious, air-conditioned newsroom, which is equipped with high-specification computers, large TFT screens and includes pre-press quality scanners and A3 colour printers, as well as a digital visualiser.

It also provides access to key industry-standard software, including QuarkXPress and Adobe Photoshop. Significant out-of-hours facilities are planned and a virtual newsroom is being developed that will replicate industry workflow.

The course is taught by people with significant experience, both as practising journalists and qualified academics actively researching the field.

We also use a variety of traditional and contemporary resources including video, the web and PowerPoint. Several of the units also use online resources, especially shorthand.

Your learning experience as an undergraduate will be different to pre-degree study, but we will teach you the necessary skills for degree level study. At each stage of study you will be assigned a personal tutor who will help ensure that you realise your academic potential. You will also have access to personal support throughout your time with us.

Enquiries are particularly welcomed from mature candidates (over 21 years of age) who may not hold the formal qualifications usually required for admission to the course.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Journalism with Media Studies for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).